ERMIN C. MORRELL, 86, of Jordan, Minnesota, died November 3,
1984 at the Valley View Nursing Home. He had worked as a machinist
for Continental Machine of Savage until his retirement in 1964.
To begin his retirement, he founded the Scott-Carver Steam and
Gas Engine Festival. Thus he spent the last twenty years of his
life parading his favorite 1898 Advance steam engine and watching
his ‘threshing bee’ grow rapidly.
He is sadly missed by all the Scott-Carver Threshers.
Submitted by Dee Scott, Box 317, Mound, MN 55364
MARY BERTHA HEDTKE, widow of Herman Hedtke and mother of George
and Howard Hedtke, passed away on October 23, 1984 at age 89. Mrs.
Hedtke had completed nurses training at Cook County Hospital in
1918, and was always ready to attend the sick and dying people of
the areas in which she lived.
In June, 1922, Mary married Herman Hedtke and assumed the duties
of a farmer’s wife in the Kings, illinois area. In May of the
next year, her son George was born. A second son, Howard Raymond
was born in 1928 after the family moved to a farm near Holcomb,
Illinois. Several years later, the family moved to Davis
Junction.
Mrs. Hedtke’s son, George now resides at Davis Junction,
Illinois, and has been associated with steam engine shows for the
past 28 years. Mary enjoyed her Church, the Ladies Aid, the
American Legion Auxiliary, and her association with the North
Central Illinois Steam Power Show. She was selected the first
‘Queen’ of that show in August, 1974, at Hedtke’s
Hickory-Oaks Farman honor she always cherished. It pleased and
humbled Mary to be introduced as George Hedtke’s mother at the
various steam shows and meetings. She was greatly thrilled with the
simple things of life and her wants were few.
Submitted by her son, George Hedtke, Davis Junction,
Illinois 61020.
CLINTON A. METZGER passed away September 9, 1984 at the
Centerburg Nursing Center. He was 71 years old. He was Co-owner of
a 65 HP Case engine and He restored it completely with family help.
In 1982 he won the Charlie Harrison award for best restored engine
at the Mad River Show. The same year he won the Good Fellowship
award at the Hocking Valley Show at Glenford. He owned and operated
a sawmill for many years and did farming and custon work all his
life until failing health presented him. He traveled to many of the
shows and loved the engines, the good times and the wonderful
fellowship of his many friends. He was a charter member of the Mad
River Show and a board member and one of the sawyers. He also was a
member of the Hocking Valley show at Glenford, The Richland County
Show at the Malabar Farm near Mansfield and Tuscarawas Show at
Dover. He is an will be sadly missed by his family and lost of
friends.
Submitted by his wife Betty Metzyer, Centerburg, Ohio
43011
IRVIN A. STELLMACHER passed away at the Veterans Hospital in
Sioux Falls, South Dakata, October 31, 1984. at the age of 88 years
and six months. He graduated from the Rahe Automobile Training
School in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1917. On April 7, 1918 he
entered the U.S. Army and served in France. After his discharge he
returned to Kansas City and was employed by the Packard Motor Car
Co. In 1921 he returned to Marshall, Minnesota, where he was
employed as a mechanic. He also purchased an airplane and engaged
in ‘farm storming’ for several years. He was a Master
Mechanic and Machinist. He was a great steam engine enthusiast, and
his favorite engine was the 32 HP C.C. Reeves. He moved to
Cotton-wood, Minnesota, in 1940 where he lived the rest of his
life.
Submitted by Edwin Bjarnebo, Box 212, Cottonwood, MN
5629
HAROLD G. HALDEN passed away September 28,1984, at the age of
83. born in Wakeman, Ohio, he worked in Sandusky, Ohio school
system as an engineer, always interested in steam engines and saw
mills. After he retired in 1963, he moved to Gladwin Michigan.
There he set up his sawmill. ‘Best mill in Michigan’, his
friends said, we sure will miss him.
Submitted by his friends and his wife, Delma E. Halden, 1230
Riverside Drive, Huron, Ohio 44839.
CARL M. ROTZIEN, 79, of Buchanan, Michigan died December 15,
1984 after an illness. Carl was born September 24, 1905 in Paoli,
Indiana. Among his early pursuits in life, he worked at the Rumely
Company machining flywheels for Oil Pulls, and ran an Avery steam
engine on his father’s sawmill. He also operated a 30-60 E Oil
Pull on a rock crusher in Iowa.
In addition to farming he later worked as a welder for the Clark
Equipment Company until his retirement in 1968.
But the labor he loved best was the time spent working on his
collection of tractors. The Oil Pulls were his pride and joy.
He was a member of the Early Day Gas Engine & Tractor
Association, Branch 5. He displayed his tractors in Indiana and
Michigan with eager assistance from his grandchildren. They
traveled to see many shows throughout the midwest.
Carl will long be remembered by his vast number of friends for
his mechanical expertise, good deeds and concern of others. The
needs of others were always willingly served before his own.
Submitted by Charles Klute, 3830 U.S. 12 W., Buchanan,
Michigan 49107.
Funeral services were held November 9, 1984 at St. William
Catholic Church in Shelby for Ray H. German, 74, Oilmont, a well
known oilfield machinist and steam tractor enthusiast who died
November 6 at a hospital in Mesa, Arizona.
He was born Dec. 9, 1909, in Glenburn, North Dakota, where he
grew up and received his education. He owned a blacksmith shop
there and ran the family farm. In 1938, he moved to Oilmont, where
he first worked for the Davis Supply Co.
In 1941, he opened his own shop, Ray’s Machine and Welding
Shop, at Four Corners. He was a master machinist who specialized in
oilfield repair, and his reputation brought him work from most of
the western United States.
He married Eileen Curry in Sunburst. In 1972, he retired, but
continued to operate his machine shop until his death.
Besides being known for his mechanical ability, he was also
popular as an ‘old-time fiddler.’ He learned to play the
fiddle as a boy an played for country dances. Continuing this
pastime throughout his life, he donated his time as a fiddler to
many benefit causes in Toole County.
He was a member of the Montana State Fiddlers Association and
won prizes as a member of the National Old Time Fiddlers
Association. He was particularly well known in the Phoenix, Arizona
area where he spent many winters.
Another personal interest for which he is known was in antique
steam tractors, and he was well known in steam engine circles. His
collection at one time included 10 fully operational engines which
he had rebuilt mainly from parts obtained from scattered areas of
the region.
As one of a select group of licensed boiler engineers, he was in
demand around Montana. He was a regular visitor to threshing bees
in North Dakota, Oklahoma, Washington and Canada, as well as
Montana, and held bees and steam shows for even consecutive years
using his own equipment at Four Corners. His big 75 HP Case tractor
was often part of area parades and a regular feature at Kevin
Days.
Submitted by John German, Washington, D.C.
T. M. THRONDSON passed away August 31, 1984. He was 100 years-2
months, and 20 days old at time, and was probably I.M.A.’s
oldest subscriber. He had a good life and was in the hospital only
once, and that was a false alarm. He had fallen with his walker and
a bone was suspected broken, but it wasn’t. He did break his
arm once cranking a model L Case tractor. He owned 2 of them, at
different times, so he must not have been ‘mad’ at the
product. He was quite a fan of Case products he had owned a 1912
Case touring car, 2 Case steam engines , a Case threshing machine
(32 inch), and numerous farm implements. He also sold Case products
for about 10 years, in the 1930’s and early 1940’s. His
father before him owned Cases.
Submitted by his son, Don E. Throndson, D.D.S., 228 7th St.,
Eaton, Colorado 80615.
